Container



Patented Apr. 18, 1944 CONTAINER John M. Hothersall, Brooklyn, N..Y.. assign or to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New J elsey Application September 6, 1941, Serial No. 409,889

' 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-45) 8,

This invention relates to fibre containers for the packaging and delivery of liquids, such as milk, fruit juices or the like and has particular reference to a snap-on shield or overcap which protects the top of a filled and sealed container.

Theinvention constitutes certain modifications and improvements in the container illustrated and described in my United States LettersPatent 2,085,979, issued July 6, 1937, and is especially an improvement in a snap-on protective cover which preserves the top of the container in a sanitary condition during shipping and handling tected by a snap-on overcap to keep them free from contamination.

An object of the invention is the provision of a sanitary fibre container for milk and other beverages which after being filled and sealed has its upper surface protected and preserved in a sanitary condition by an overcap or shield which is snapped over the top end and which engages beneath the .end seam joint in peripheral indentations or necked-in portions of the container body.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a snap-on overcap or shield for flat top containers having tongue members which are cut from the depending walls of the shield and which extend inwardly and engage beneath a cover end seam or projecting flange overhanging the wall at the end of the container.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of l a filled and sealed container having its top end and plugs closure protected by a snap-on shield or cover; and

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of the container shown in Fig. 1 taken substantially along the line 2-2 in that figure.

The container illustrated in the drawing shows a construction generally described in detail in my patent hereinbefore mentioned; Itisto this type of container that the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is directed. 'Briefiy, the 1 container comprise a substantially rectangular body ll closed at its ends with suitable top and bottom end closure members. These end closure members are similar and for the purpose of this invention, only the top end closure need be illustrated. The numeral-l2 designates such a top end closure.

The container body ll preferably is formed from a single sheet of fibrous material folded at right angles to provide four side walls which are designated by the numeral l3. The edges of such a sheet are joined along one of the side walls to form a vertically lapped side seam I (Fig. 1). The lapped side seam edges are secured together by a liquid-proof adhesive so that the Joint as well as the remainder of the container is made leak-proof.

The end members, as illustrated by the top end closure l2. preferably are square and are formed of the same fibrous material as the body. Fig. 2 of the drawing shows in detail'how the top end closure member I2 is interlocked with the adjacent end or marginal portions of the body, the marginal portions being bent inwardly as at l5 and outwardly as at Hi to provide a support or ledge l'l. This ledge extends peripherally of the body and provides a support for the end closure member II. The extreme edges of the body marginal portions are bent upwardly and inwardly over the outer edges of the end closure member thereby providing opposite end flanges l8 which hold the end closure in position.

The bent parts l6, 18 of the body adjacent its ends and the marginal edges of the top end closure preferably are secured with a suitable liquid proof adhesive which is interposed between the joint parts and; this unites them into an end seam joint l9. 7

The top end closure member I: is provided with a dispensing opening 22 which is formed adjacent one corner. This openingis closed by a hinge plug closure element 23 having a slightly tapered cup-shapedplug section 24. The hinge plug closure element is secured to the top end closure member by a wire staple 25 which is arranged to permit the plug closure element to be swung into an open or closed position to allow subsequent operations of filling and closing as well as opening and dispensing of the container contents.

As in my former patented container, the present container is also temporarily closed by the plug section 24 of the hinge plug closure element 23, being inserted into the dispensing opening 22 while the container is empty. This oper ation preferably is performed in the container manufacturer's plant so as to preserve the containers in their sterile condition before and while being shipped to the dairy or packers plant for filling and final sealing of a filled container. As in my former patent the completed container is paraflln wax coated or otherwise treated to make it liquid-proof.

As an incident to filling such a completed container the plug section 24 of the hinge closure element is swung on its hinged connection or staple 25 to an open position to permit filling the container through the dispensing opening 22. The filled container is thereafter finally closed by reinserting the plug section of the hinge plug closure element into the dispensing opening. As a further precaution in sealing the container, the plug section may be slightly enlarged by a suitable expanding tool to form a circumferential head 26 below the dispensing opening 22.

The filled and sealed container is now in a suitable condition for receiving a snap-on shield or overcap 21 which is provided to protect the top of the container. Such a shield comprises a top panel 28 having four side depending walls 29 extending therefrom which are cut away to provide fulcrum edges at the corner portions 32, as best illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawing, thereby to facilitate removal of the overcap. These cutaway corners uncover portions of the indentation at the corners of the container and permit insertion of the handle of a spoon, or other suitable implement, between a fulcrum edge and the lower wall of the indentation to my oil the overcap and uncover the top of the container. Upon removal of the overcap the container may be opened by raising the hinged plug closure. The overcap 21 is formed from the same fibrous material as other parts of the container and may be made waterproof by a suitable coating such as paraffin wax or the like.

The depending walls 29 have a plurality of resilient spring locking element or lugs 33 form d in the wall by cutting along three sides as at 34 which allow the spring elements to be hingedly connected to the wall 29 as at 35. The depending walls 29 of the overcap are suitably sized so that the overcap may be slipped over the sealed container whereupon the spring elements 33 snap into a peripheral indentation-or necked-in portion 36 formed by the inclined wall portion ii of the container body adjacent the end.

The angle of these spring elements 33 when snapped into holding position is at substantially iilge same angle as the inclined body wall portion aseaese The overcap 21 when so positioned upon a container preserves the sanitary condition of the top end member and the hinge plug closure element by preventing contaminated liquids or other foreign substances from coming in contact with the top end member and the hinge plug closure element from the time it leaves the dairy until it is opened by an ultimate'consum'er." I

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form; construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A sealed sanitary fiber container for liquids, comprising a container body having its side walls at its outer end extending inwardly and thence optwardly to constitute a'substantially horizontal peripheral end ledge, a substantially flat end closure member secured to said outer end of the body in a leak-proof joint, and a snap-0n protective overcap member for engaging and pro- J.

tecting the closed end of the container, said overcap member including a substantially flat top panel portion closely engaging the top of the container and a peripheral depending flange wall overlapping the outer end of said body, said flange wall being provided with a plurality of peripherally spaced inwardly struck resilient lugs sprung inwardly beneath said body ledge when the overcap member is in applied position.

2. A sealed sanitary fiber container for liquids, comprising a container body having its side walls at its outer end extending inwardly and thence outwardly to constitute a substantially horizontal peripheral end ledge, a substantially flat end closure member secured to said outer end of the body in a leak-proof joint, and a snap-on protective overcap member for engaging and protecting the closed end of the container, said overcap member. including a substantially fiat top panel portion closely engaging the top of the container and a peripheral depending flange wall overlapping the outer end of said body, said flange wall being provided with a plurality of peripherally spaced inwardly struck resilient lugs sprung inwardly beneath said body ledge and having substantially the inclination of said in wardly extending body portion when theovercap is in applied position, a portion of said depending flange wall of the overcap being cut away to expose the inwardly extending portion of the body wall and facilitate removal of the overcap by insertion of a prying instrument at the exposed locality.

JOHN M. HOTHERSAIL. 

